More than a dozen villagers have been killed in a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall since Wednesday in the northeastern Taplejung district of Nepal, local media reported.

Some people were still reportedly missing in the mountainous area. However the Home Ministry confirmed that only six bodies had been recovered so far.

"The rescue team is already at the site along with a helicopter. We have received six dead bodies, however the death toll might be increasing," Home Ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told Xinhua over phone.

The villages of Liwang, Thokling, Thinglabu and Lingket among others have been severely hit by the landslide.

"The rescue operation has been difficult owing to continuous rainfall," Dhakal said, adding that the ministry has made two other helicopters ready for possible rescue efforts.

Though the monsoon season is yet to come, landslides and floods have already occurred in many parts of the Himalayan nation. Endi

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